December 2017

FCC Takes Key Step Toward Auction To Expand Rural Broadband, Identifying Locations Eligible for Support from Connect America Fund

Continuing its push to expand access to broadband in rural America, the Federal Communications Commission identified the locations of nearly 1 million homes and small businesses in 48 states that are eligible for up to $2 billion in support for broadband deployment over the next decade. Currently unserved by high speed Internet access, these locations are in largely rural areas, where, absent support, carriers are unlikely to expand service.

As 'Star Wars' Bleeds Into The Net Neutrality Saga, Here's How To Forge A Lasting Peace

[Commentary] So long as the Federal Communications Commission is run by majority rule, members of the first faction will never achieve lasting protections to their liking; the pendulum will continue to swing with changes in the White House. The solution is obvious: Congress needs to give the FCC (or the Net Tribunal) a clear mandate to define appropriate ISP and tech platform behavior and to police it. Until that day comes, we will have more heart-pounding installments of the net neutrality saga than Star Wars.

[Hal Singer is principal at Economists Incorporated]